Roddy Piper
| Roddy Piper | |
|---|---|
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Piper in April 2014
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| Birth name | Roderick George Toombs |
| Born |
April 17, 1954 Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada |
| Died | July 31, 2015 (aged 61) Hollywood, California, U.S. |
| Spouse(s) | Kitty Jo Dittrich (m. 1982; his death 2015) |
| Children | 4 |
| Family | Hart |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Roddy Piper The Canadian The Masked Canadian Piper Machine |
| Billed height | 6 ft 2 in (188 cm) |
| Billed weight | 230 lb (104 kg) |
| Billed from | Glasgow, Scotland |
| Trained by |
Gene LeBell Leo Garibaldi Tony Condello Joe Fiorino Stu Hart |
| Debut | 1969 |
Roderick George "Roddy" Toombs (April 17, 1954 – July 31, 2015), better known by his ring name "Rowdy" Roddy Piper, was a Canadian professional wrestler and actor.
In professional wrestling, Piper was best known to international audiences for his work with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, later WWE) and World Championship Wrestling (WCW) between 1984 and 2000. Although he was Canadian, because of his Scottish heritage he was billed as coming from Glasgow and was known for his signature kilt and bagpipe entrance music. He earned the nicknames "Rowdy" and "Hot Rod" by displaying his trademark "Scottish" rage, spontaneity, and quick wit. Piper was described by industry veteran Ric Flair as "the most gifted entertainer in the history of professional wrestling"; he is regarded by many as the greatest wrestling villain of all time.
One of the most recognizable pro wrestling stars worldwide, Piper headlined numerous pay-per-view cards, including the WWF and WCW's respective premier annual events, WrestleMania and Starrcade. Never a world champion, he nevertheless accumulated 34 championships in various promotions during a 42-year ring career. Piper's most notable rivals included Greg Valentine, Adrian Adonis, and Hulk Hogan, with the feud against Hogan – also involving "Captain" Lou Albano and singer Cyndi Lauper – considered the beginning of "Rock 'n' Wrestling". He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2005.
Outside of wrestling, Piper acted in dozens of films and TV shows, including the lead role of John Nada in the 1988 cult classic They Live and a recurring role as a deranged professional wrestler on the FX comedy series It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.
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